DMCA Policy

Copyright notices go to hello@rufsanshares.com with “DMCA Notice” in the subject. They're read by Rufsan Hossain, who runs this site.

Being straight with you: formal designation of a DMCA agent with the US Copyright Office is in progress and not yet complete, so this site should not be assumed to have safe-harbour protection under 17 U.S.C. §512. That doesn't change anything about the process below — notices are acted on regardless — but you're entitled to know rather than to infer it from a page that looks official.

Comments have a Report option, and it is the right tool for spam, harassment and things that are simply off topic. It is not a copyright notice and cannot be: its reasons don't include copyright, it asks for no sworn statement, and it reaches the moderation queue rather than the address above.

Reporting something and assuming a notice has been filed is an easy mistake to make, and an expensive one if you are waiting on a response. Copyright complaints have to come by email, with the elements below.

For a notice to be actionable, include all of the following:

• Your physical or electronic signature.
• Identification of the copyrighted work you say has been infringed.
• The URL of the material on this site, specific enough for me to find it.
• Your name, address, telephone number and email.
• A statement that you believe in good faith that the use isn't authorised by the copyright owner, its agent, or the law.
• A statement that the information in your notice is accurate and — under penalty of perjury — that you are the owner or authorised to act for them.

Misrepresenting that material is infringing can make you liable for damages, including costs and legal fees. This isn't a form to send lightly.

• Valid notices are acted on expeditiously — in practice, within a few business days.
• The material is removed or disabled, and whoever posted it is told what happened and given a copy of the notice.
• They can send a counter-notification, described below.

If your material was removed and you believe that was a mistake or a misidentification, send a counter-notice to the same address containing:

• Your signature.
• Identification of the removed material and where it appeared before removal.
• A statement under penalty of perjury that you believe in good faith it was removed by mistake or misidentification.
• Your name, address and telephone number, and consent to the jurisdiction of the courts where you live — or, if you're outside the United States, of a US federal district court — and that you'll accept service from the person who filed the notice.

The original complainant is forwarded your counter-notice. If they don't file a court action within 10 to 14 business days, the material may be restored.

Accounts that repeatedly post infringing material are terminated. What counts as “repeatedly” is judged case by case rather than by a strike count, because a single deliberate act can be worse than three careless ones.